The day 3 of Sepang Shakedown Test in Malaysia finished with Honda at the top of the timesheets. The shakedown is a pre-season test for test riders, rookies and some factory riders before the official Sepang Test starts next week.

At the end of the final day, Aleix Espargaró posted the fastest lap on his Honda with a time of 1:57.173, showing that Honda may have made good improvements over the winter. This time would have put him fourth on the grid at last year’s Malaysian Grand Prix, which is a strong sign of progress.

Pol Espargaró was second fastest on the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing bike, only a tenth of a second behind Aleix’s time. KTM brought a three-man test squad to Sepang, including Dani Pedrosa and Mika Kallio, working on development and new aerodynamics.

Fabio Quartararo was third fastest on the new Yamaha YZR-M1 with its V4 engine. Yamaha had extra track time because they are in Rank D of the concession system and ran many riders including Alex Rins and Jack Miller during the three days.

At Ducati, test rider Michele Pirro spent the shakedown preparing the bike for the full teams but did not set a top time. Ducati also showed new aerodynamic parts on the first day.

Aprilia’s test rider Lorenzo Savadori worked on the bikes ahead of main rider Marco Bezzecchi’s arrival for the official test. The team and others, including Trackhouse MotoGP riders Raúl Fernández and Ai Ogura, are expected to focus on aero options next week.

The two rookies for 2026, Diogo Moreira and Toprak Razgatlioglu, also took part and used the three days to gain extra track time. Moreira had some technical problems but improved his lap time, and Razgatlioglu was close behind on his Yamaha.

The next event is the official Sepang Test from 3rd to 5th February, where most full-time riders will take to the track and teams will continue preparing for the start of the 2026 MotoGP season.